“I am representing Africa,” Rema laments after stopping performance in Dreamville Festival.
Written by Zenna Issa on April 9, 2024
Nigerian musician Rema attracted attention on Sunday when he abruptly stopped his performance during the Dreamville 2024 Festival in North Carolina.
The festival, which was held on April 6 and 7, featured a lineup of famous artists including J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, Monica, and Muni Long. Rema performed on the second day of the two-day event.
Although he wowed the audience with his performance alongside these big names, he had to pause midway through his rendition of ‘Calm Down,’ one of his popular songs, due to sound problems.
A now-viral video captures Rema expressing dissatisfaction with the sound quality, deeming it “messed up” and claiming it was hindering his ability to deliver a good performance.
In addition to addressing sound issues, Rema called for equal consideration regarding sound quality for all artists, stressing the importance of sound equality in ensuring quality performances for everyone involved.
“Hold on, there’s a lot of sound issues. It’s messing up my entire performance, I don’t feel sh*t at all,” he said.
“It’s so messed up. I’m representing Africa, this is so messed up. If the sound can’t be perfect for every artist stepping on this stage… Africa is inside the house, and you’re messing sh*t up? I’ll step off this stage, fix it!”
Another clip shows Rema expressing his concerns about the sound before leaving the stage.
“Too many sound issues, my people, I love you, good night,” he added.